Pictures at 9.35am

[Paulie55]

The worst ever recorded version of this work, a sluggish Baba Yaga and unexciting Great Gate. STOP period instrument versions of Romantic repertoire in MODERN orchestrations....it's pointless when the sound Ravel envisaged was far more rich and opulent.

[ostuni]

What on earth do you mean by this post? I’m not referring to your 'sluggish ... unexciting' comments: these are your personal opinions and, while mine differ, that's neither here nor there. But have you wilfully misunderstood the concept of period instruments? As Georgia Mann back-announced, Les Siècles use instruments of Ravel's own period. I'm not sure I'd call an orchestration from a century ago 'MODERN', but these instruments (gut-strung string section, woodwind and brass instruments from the first third of the 20th century) are designed to create exactly the 'sound Ravel envisaged'.

[Bryn]

What on earth do you mean by this post? I’m not referring to your 'sluggish ... unexciting' comments: these are your personal opinions and, while mine differ, that's neither here nor there. But have you wilfully misunderstood the concept of period instruments? As Georgia Mann back-announced, Les Siècles use instruments of Ravel's own period. I'm not sure I'd call an orchestration from a century ago 'MODERN', but these instruments (gut-strung string section, woodwind and brass instruments from the first third of the 20th century) are designed to create exactly the 'sound Ravel envisaged'.

Quite! Just as Ravel's Tzigane should be played on violin and luthéal:

[Oakapple]

There are so many recordings of Pictures on modern instruments surely there is room for one using instruments of the time.

I like to hear performances using the instruments composers specified. Ravel, Bax, Debussy and Dukas sometimes scored for a contrabass sarrusophone but I doubt that appears in the concert hall much these days and I wonder how many recordings use it.

[Serial_Apologist]

Listen to the 1929 Kousssevitsky version Ravel was present at - the one on instruments of the time that give it the right sound.

[jayne lee wilson]

The worst ever recorded version of this work, a sluggish Baba Yaga and unexciting Great Gate. STOP period instrument versions of Romantic repertoire in MODERN orchestrations....it's pointless when the sound Ravel envisaged was far more rich and opulent.

Explication de texte, please....?
Your phrasing is obscure........

How do you know the sound that Ravel envisaged? You have privileged access to his long-cerebrally-deceased musical imagination?

If you want a list of excellent HIPPs recordings of so-called "Romantic Repertoire" on instruments d'époque do let me know.....the Bruckner 1sts from Haselbock or Steinaecker would be a good start....
(But....was Bruckner really "Romantic"....?)

[cloughie]

Listen to the 1929 Kousssevitsky version Ravel was present at - the one on instruments of the time that give it the right sound.

Are you sure it is the sound of the instruments or how they sound on a 1929 recording?

[Serial_Apologist]

Are you sure it is the sound of the instruments or how they sound on a 1929 recording?

Well, the latter, naturally. Given that the recording comprises one half of an LP I found long ago in a charity shop, which would have been transferred to LP long before digital re-mastering came into force, its sound quality is not that bad really, with the exception of the "grand finale". There has been a lot of hostility here directed at this work for Ravel's orchestration, several posters saying that they much prefer the piano original, and I am wondering if the criticism might have something to do with orchestrated performances being on today's instruments? Just a guess...

[cloughie]

Well, the latter, naturally. Given that the recording comprises one half of an LP I found long ago in a charity shop, which would have been transferred to LP long before digital re-mastering came into force, its sound quality is not that bad really, with the exception of the "grand finale". There has been a lot of hostility here directed at this work for Ravel's orchestration, several posters saying that they much prefer the piano original, and I am wondering if the criticism might have something to do with orchestrated performances being on today's instruments? Just a guess...

Dunno! I've always liked SRO/Ansermet - good 60s recording, modern instruments and I would guess he had a good idea of how Ravel wanted it to sound. I've never had any problem with Ravel's orchestration but then my arrangements are not as informed as his!